Legal Phrases

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The A to Z guide to legal phrases

The language used in law is changing. Many lawyers are now adopting a plain
English style. But there are still legal phrases that baffle non-lawyers.
This guide is intended to help in two ways:
it should help non-lawyers understand legal phrases; and

it should give lawyers ideas for explaining the legal phrases that they use.
The explanations in this guide are not intended to be straight alternatives.

Although we hope the explanations will prompt lawyers to make sure they only
use legal jargon where strictly necessary, our wording is there to explain ideas
and concepts rather than to give strict legal definitions.
The terms and explanations are for the law in England and Wales.
This is very much a 'work in progress', and we welcome any corrections,

clarifications or suggested additions. Please e-mail us with your comments.
The copyright on this guide belongs to Plain English Campaign. Please contact
us if you want to reproduce any part of it.
You can click on any of the letters below to skip to a particular section of the A
to Z list.
A- B- C- D - E- F- G- H- I- J- K - L- M- N- O- P- Q- R
- S- T- U- V- W- Y
A (Back to top)
Abandonment giving up a legal right.
Abatement is: cancelling a writ or action;
stopping a nuisance;
reducing the payments to creditors in proportion, if

there is not enough money to pay them in full; or
reducing the bequests in a will, in proportion, when

there is not enough money to pay them in full.
Abduction taking someone away by force.
http://www.plainenglish.co.uk/legalaz.html 20/06/2006
Ab initio from the start of something. (This phrase is Latin.)
Abovementioned describing something which has been referred to

before in the document.
Abscond when a person fails to present themselves before the

court when required, such as when they have been
released on bail and not returned to court.
Absolute complete and unconditional.
Absolute discharge someone who has been convicted of an offence

being released without any penalty. (They may still
have to pay compensation though.)
Absolute owner the only owner of property such as equipment,

buildings, land or vehicles.
Absolute privilege a defence which can be used in a case of

defamation if the statement from which the
defamation arose was:
made in Parliament;
in fair and accurate news reporting of court
proceedings; or
made during court proceedings.
Abstract of title a document, drawn up by the seller, summarising the

title deeds to a property (such as a house).
Abuse of process when criminal proceedings are brought against a

person without there being any good reason and with
malice.
Abuttals the parts of the boundaries of a piece of land which

touch pieces of land alongside.
Acceptance when an offer is accepted unconditionally and a

legally binding agreement is created.
Acceptance of service when a solicitor accepts a writ on behalf of a client.
Acceptor the organisation (such as a bank) which will pay the

cheque or bill of exchange it has accepted.
Accessory someone who encourages or helps another person

to commit a crime.
Accomplice someone who helps another person to commit a

crime.
Accordingly a word used in legal documents which means

therefore or so.
Accounts the record of an organisation's income, spending and

financial situation.
Accumulation reinvesting income generated by a fund back into the

fund.
Accused the person charged with a criminal offence.
Acknowledgement admitting that someone has a claim or admitting that

a debt exists.
Acknowledgement of
service
when a defendant agrees that a writ or originating

summons ('claim form' since April 1999) has been
received. The defendant fills in, signs and sends
back the acknowledgement of service to confirm in
writing that the documents were received.
Acquit when a court lets a person go without any penalty. If

a court decides that a person is not guilty of a crime,
or the case has not been proved, it will acquit the
person.
Acquittal the court's decision that a person is innocent of the

crime they were charged with.
Action using the law to make a claim.
Active trust a trust where the trustees have other responsibilities

rather than to just let the beneficiaries have the
trust's assets when they ask for them.
Act of bankruptcy an act which, if carried out by a person with debts,

could have led to bankruptcy proceedings against
that person.
Act of God an extreme naturally occurring event (such as an

earthquake, avalanche or flood) that could not have
been anticipated.
Actual bodily harm hurting another person but less severely than would
amount to grievous bodily harm.
Actual loss an insurance term which means that the insured item
no longer exists.
Actuary an expert on pension scheme assets and liabilities,

life expectancy and probabilities (the likelihood of
things happening) for insurance purposes. An
actuary works out whether enough money is being
paid into a pension scheme to pay the pensions
when they are due.
Actus reus an act which is illegal, such as theft. (This term is

Latin.)
Additional voluntary extra money people in occupational pension

contribution (AVC) schemes can pay in to increase their pension
benefits.
Ademption when a gift in a will cannot be made because the

item no longer exists.
Ad hoc for a particular purpose. For example, a committee

set up to deal with a particular situation is an ad hoc
committee. (This term is Latin.)
Ad idem - in agreement. (This term is Latin.)
Ad infinitum endlessly or forever. (This term is Latin.)
Adjourned sine die when a court case has no date fixed for it to
continue.
Adjournment postponing a court hearing.
Adjudge/adjudicate to give an official judgement about something. For

example, if someone cannot pay their debts a court
may adjudge them bankrupt.
Adjudication order the former name for a court order which made
someone bankrupt. It has now been replaced with
the term bankruptcy order.
Administration order an order made by a county court when a person or a

company cannot pay their debts. Normally the court
orders that the debts are repaid by instalments and
as long as the debtor keeps to the order the creditors
cannot do anything else to recover their money.
Administrator someone who has been appointed:to manage the

affairs of a bankrupt business; or to manage the
estate of someone who has died without leaving a
will.
Admissibility of which evidence can be presented in court. Evidence

evidence must be relevant to the case but even some relevant
evidence cannot be presented, such as hearsay or

evidence of little value. The judge decides whether
or not evidence can be used in the case.
Admission one side in a case agreeing that something the other

side has alleged is true.
Admonition reprimanding of a defendant by a judge even though

the case against the defendant has been discharged
(dropped).
Adoption the system which people use to become parents,

even though they are not the child's natural parents.
Adoptive child a child who has been legally adopted.
Adoptive parent a person who has legally adopted a child.
Ad valorem in proportion to the value. An ad valorem duty goes

up as the value of the goods, shares and so on that it
is charged on rises. (This term is Latin.)
Adverse possession intentionally occupying land to prevent the rightful

owner or tenant using it.
Adverse witness a witness who gives evidence which damages the

case of the side which asked the witness to testify for
them.
Advocate is:
the lawyer who speaks in court for a client; or

a Scottish lawyer who is the equivalent of a
barrister in England and Wales.
Affidavit a written statement which is sworn to be true by the

person signing it. It is sworn before someone
authorised by the court.
Affirm to:
solemnly promise to tell the truth in court;

solemnly promise to tell the truth in an affidavit;
confirm a decision made by a lower court; or
allow a contract to continue even though it
could have been cancelled because it was
fundamentally breached.
Affirmation solemnly promising to tell the truth when giving
evidence. It is an alternative to swearing an oath

when the person giving evidence does not wish to.
Affray fighting unlawfully. It is a criminal offence.
Aforementioned describing something referred to previously in the

document.
Aforesaid describing something which has been said or

referred to before in the document.
Agency the relationship between a principal and an agent.
Agent someone appointed to act for a principal.
Age of consent the age when a girl can consent to have sexual
intercourse. In the UK it is 16.
Aggravated assault a more serious type of assault such as one leading

to actual bodily harm.
Aggravated burglary entering premises armed with a weapon, intending to

steal goods.
Aggravated damages extra damages awarded because the defendant has

caused the victim anguish, loss of self-respect or
shame.
Aggravated vehicle- stealing a vehicle, driving it dangerously and as a

taking result injuring someone or damaging property.
Agricultural holding a type of tenancy agreement for someone doing

agricultural work. The tenant has special rights
including, when the tenancy finishes, the right to
compensation for improvements to the land. If the
land has deteriorated the tenant must compensate
the landlord.
Aiding and abetting helping someone to commit a crime.
Airspace the space in the atmosphere directly above a piece

of land. If you own a piece of land you also own the
airspace above the land.
Alias a false name.
Alibi a claim that a person was elsewhere when a crime

was committed. If someone is accused of a crime
their alibi is:
evidence that the person was somewhere else
when the crime was committed; or

an attempt to prove that the person was
somewhere else when the crime was
committed.
Alien someone from a foreign country.
Alienation transferring the ownership of property from one

person to another.
All and sundry everybody.
Allegation an unproved statement declaring that something has

happened.
Alleviate to lessen or reduce.
Allocation rate the proportion of money left to be invested after

charges have been taken off when money is paid
into a fund (such as a pension fund). For example, if
the charges were 2%, the allocation rate would be
98%.
Allotment shares allocated to a buyer. An allotment of shares

in a company gives the owner (of the allotment) an
unconditional right to buy the shares at a fixed price.
All that words used in a conveyance to introduce the

description of the property which is being conveyed.
Alternate director a person appointed by a director to take the

director's place.
Alternative verdict a person being found guilty of a less serious crime

than the one they were charged with. If a more
serious charge has not been proved and the
defendant has been found not guilty, the defendant
may be found guilty of a less serious crime instead.
For example, there may not be enough evidence to
convict someone of a murder but there may still be
enough for a manslaughter conviction. This is known
as an alternative verdict.
Amalgamation two or more companies combining.
Ambiguity capability of more than one meaning. When a

statement's meaning is not clear because it is
capable of more than one meaning, it contains an
ambiguity.
Ambulatory will a will which can be revoked or changed while the
person who made it is still living.
Amnesty not punishing a person for an offence they have

committed and removing details of the offence from
the court's records is giving the person an amnesty.
Ancient lights the right not to have the light you receive from a
neighbour's land blocked.
Annual accounts the summary of an organisation's financial

transactions during the year covered by their
accounts, and a 'snapshot' of the assets and
liabilities at the end of the year.
Annual general the yearly meeting of the members of an

meeting organisation which must be held to meet legal
conditions. The annual accounts are presented for
approval at this meeting.
Annual return a return which must be sent by companies to the

Registrar of Companies. Each year the officers of a
company have to fill in an annual return with details
of the members, officers, shares issued and other
information about the company. The return is then
sent to Companies House for filing and is available
for inspection by members of the public.
Annuitant the person who gets paid an annuity.
Annuity an amount paid out every year to someone. The

money usually comes from an insurance policy. It
can be split up into smaller amounts and be paid out
more frequently, such as monthly. It is usually paid
for the rest of the beneficiary's life.
Annul to cancel:
an invalid marriage; or
a bankruptcy order.
Ante before. (This is a Latin word.)
Antecedents details about the past of a defendant or a person

found guilty of a crime. The information about
previous crimes, background and bad behaviour is
given to the court before the sentence is given.
Antenuptial agreement a legal agreement between two people who are

about to get married. The agreement sets out how
the couple's assets will be divided between them if
they later divorce.
Anton Piller order an order by the High Court. It gives the applicant
permission to search the defendant's premises for
evidence, inspect it and take it away. It is intended to
prevent evidence being destroyed or hidden which
would be relevant to the case. (Since April 1999, this
has been known as a 'search order'.)
Appeal asking a court to overturn a lower court's decision. If

the decision of a court is disputed it may be possible
to ask a higher court to consider the case again by
lodging an appeal.
Appellant the person who is appealing to a court against a

decision of a lower court.
Appellate jurisdiction the authority a court has to hear an appeal against a

decision made by a lower court.
Appertaining to
Applicant the person asking a court to do something.
Appointee the person who gets the benefit of the use of a

power of appointment.
Appointor the person who uses a power of appointment.
Appurtenances minor rights in land such as a right to do something

on the land.
Arbitrage is:
borrowing money at a low rate of interest to

lend out again at a higher rate; or
buying and selling in different markets to make
profits out of the price differences.
Arbitration settling a dispute by using a referee. If a dispute

goes to arbitration it is settled by an independent
referee. It avoids having to use the courts to settle
the dispute.
Arbitrator the independent referee who settles a dispute

without the need to use the courts.
Arraignment a procedure at the start of a trial when details of the

offences are read out and the defendants are asked
whether they will plead guilty or not guilty.
Arrest to seize someone, usually because they are

suspected of committing a crime, and take them into
custody.
Arrestable offence a crime for which a person may be arrested without a

warrant being needed.
Arson setting fire to something to cause damage to it.
Articles the clauses in a document. A company's articles set

out its rules. The articles form part of the
memorandum and articles of association.
Articles of association documents which set out a company's rules.
Assault when someone threatens another person with

physical harm. Words on their own do not amount to
assault but threatening gestures do, even if the
person threatened is not touched.
Assent a document used by personal representatives to

transfer property to a beneficiary.
Asset something owned such as a building, a vehicle or

money in the bank.
Assign to formally transfer something, such as when

ownership of property is transferred from one person
to another.
Assignment the formal transfer of the rights to something. An

example would be a bank customer assigning to the
bank the right to receive the benefits from a life
insurance policy to give the bank security for a loan.
Assurance insurance cover for an event which will definitely

happen, such as death.
Assure to transfer the ownership of something.
Assured the person whose life is insured or who is entitled to

receive the benefit from the assurance cover.
Assured shorthold a type of tenancy agreement under which the

tenancy landlord has the right to take the property back at the
end of the tenancy agreement.
Attachment of earnings a court order that deductions be made from a

person's earnings. The employer pays the money
collected to the court and the court pays the money
to the people it is owed to.
Attest to sign to witness a signature on a document.
Attorney a person appointed to act for another person (such

as when someone cannot look after their own
affairs). A formal document called a power of
attorney is used to appoint the attorney.
It is also the name used for a US lawyer.
Attorney General the chief legal adviser to the Government. He or she

must be a Member of Parliament (or have a seat in
the House of Lords) and must be a barrister.
Audit an independent examination of an organisation's

records and financial statements (report and
accounts) to make sure that:
the financial statements show a fair reflection of

the financial position at the accounting date;
the income and spending is shown accurately;
the financial statements meet any legal
conditions; and
the financial statements are drawn up clearly.
Auditor's report a report and opinion, by an independent person or

firm, on an organisation's financial records.
Authorised share the highest amount of share capital that a company

capital can issue. The amount is set out in the company's
memorandum of association.
Authorised investments in which a trustee is permitted to invest

investments trust money, under an Act of Parliament.
Autopsy an examination of a dead body to find the cause of

death.
B (Back to top)
Bail to pay, or promise to pay, an amount of money so

that an accused person is not put in prison before
the trial. If the accused person does not appear at
the trial, the court can keep the money put up for
bail.
Bailee a person or organisation looking after valuable items

to keep them safe for the owner.
Bail hostel accommodation found for people charged with

offences and released on bail, but who do not have a
permanent address so that the police know where to
find them.
Bailiff an officer of the court who carries out the court's

orders, such as taking a debtor's goods and selling
them to get money to pay the debtor's debts. A bailiff
can also personally deliver (serve) documents on
people.
Bailiwick the area over which a bailiff has jurisdiction.
Bailment transferring possession of goods from the owner to

someone else. The ownership of the goods is not
transferred. A practical example of bailment is that
someone who hires a television has possession of it,
but the rental company still owns the television.
Bailor the owner of valuable items which are in the

possession of another person or organisation for
safekeeping.
Balance sheet a summary of an organisation's financial position. It

lists the values, in the books of account on a
particular date, of all the organisation's assets and
liabilities. The assets and liabilities are grouped in
categories and paint a picture of the organisation's
strengths and weaknesses.
Banker's draft a cheque drawn by a bank on itself. It is used when

there must be certainty that a cheque will be paid.
Bankrupt someone who has had a bankruptcy order
Bankruptcy order an order that a court may issue against someone if

they cannot pay their debts when they are due to be
paid. This order takes ownership of the debtor's
property away from the debtor and allows much of
the property to be sold. The money raised is divided
between the creditors following strict rules.
Bankruptcy search a document which says whether or not someone is

bankrupt.
Bar the collective term for barristers. When a lawyer

becomes a barrister, it is called 'being called to the
bar'.
Bare trust a trust which holds property on behalf of a person

until they ask for it back.
Bare trustee someone who holds property on behalf of another

person until asked to return the property.
Bargain and sale a contract to sell any property or investment in land
that a person owns.
Barrister a lawyer who can speak in the higher courts, which a

solicitor is not allowed to do.
Barter a way of paying for things by exchanging goods

instead of using money.
Battery using physical force on someone either intentionally

or carelessly and without their agreement.
It would not be battery if two boxers took part in a

boxing match, even though they hurt each other
during the match, because they would have agreed
to fight each other.
Bearer the person who has a document in their possession.
Bench the name for the judges or magistrates in a court.
Bench warrant a warrant issued by a court for the arrest of an

accused person who has failed to attend court. It is
also issued when someone has committed contempt
of court and can't be traced.
Beneficial interest belonging to a person even though someone else is

the legal owner. If something really belongs to
someone, even if that person does not legally own it,
they have a beneficial interest in it. If, for instance,
parents hold an investment on behalf of their child
they are the legal owners, but the child is the
beneficial owner of the investment.
Beneficial owner the owner of a piece of land (and the buildings on it).
Beneficial owners have the right:
to the income their land generates; or

to use the land for their own purposes.
It can also be a person who really owns something

even though it is held in someone else's name.
Beneficiary someone who benefits from a will, a trust or a life

insurance policy.
Bequeath to leave something (such as possessions or money)

to someone in your will. You cannot bequeath land
or real property but you can devise them instead.
Bequest something given in a will, other than land or real

property.
Bigamy the offence committed by someone who is already

married but still goes through a marriage ceremony
with someone else.
Bill of costs the invoice the solicitor sends to a client giving

details of any disbursements the solicitor has paid on
behalf of the client, the fee the solicitor is charging
and any expenses.
Bill of exchange a signed written order, instructing the person it is

addressed to to pay an amount of money to
someone. A cheque is a type of bill of exchange.
Bill of lading a document recording the goods a ship carries and

the terms the goods are carried under.
Bill of sale a document which transfers ownership of goods from

one person to another.
Binding effect the fact that an agreement must be kept to by law.
Binding over an order by a court in a criminal case. If someone

has misbehaved or broken the peace, magistrates
can bind them over. The magistrates can order them
to pay a bond. This will be forfeited (won't be repaid)
if the binding over terms are broken.
Binding precedent following the decisions made by higher courts. Lower

courts must follow the precedents set by the
decisions of higher courts and this is called binding
precedent.
Blackmail demanding payment from a person in return for not

revealing something shameful about them.
Bodily harm physical injury or pain.
Bona fide genuine, sincere or in good faith. (This term is Latin.)
Bona vacantia goods or an estate belonging to nobody. (This term

is Latin.)
Bond a written promise to repay a debt at an agreed time

and to pay an agreed rate of interest on the debt.
Bonded goods goods for which a bond has been paid to HM

Customs and Excise as security for the duty owed on
the goods.
Bonded warehouse a warehouse approved by HM Customs and Excise

for storing goods imported into the UK until the duty
on them has been paid or the goods have been

exported to another country.
Bonus shares free shares that a company offers to its

shareholders, in proportion to their existing
shareholdings.
Book value the value of a fixed asset, such as a building or

machine, as recorded in an organisation's books. It is
usually the amount paid for the asset less an amount
for depreciation.
Bought note a document showing details of a purchase by

someone for a third party. Stockbrokers produce
bought notes for their clients. The bought note shows
details of the investments the broker has bought for
the client, including the price paid and any
commission and duty charged.
Breach of contract failing to carry out a duty under a contract.
Breach of duty failing to carry out something which is required by

law, or doing something the law forbids.
Breach of the peace
(or breaking the peace) when harm is done to someone, or harm is

threatened.
Breach of trust when a trustee does something which is against the

trust's rules or fails to do something required by the
trust's rules.
Break clause a clause in a contract which allows it to be ended.
Bridle way a path or road which is a right of way for people

walking and people leading or riding horses. Cyclists
can use it as well but must give way to pedestrians
and horses.
Brief a document prepared by a solicitor which contains

the instructions for the barrister to follow when acting
for the solicitor in court.
Building preservation a notice that a building is listed. If a building is in

notice danger of being altered or demolished, but the local
planning authority thinks it should be preserved, the
authority can issue a notice that the building is listed.
Burglary entering a building without permission with the

intention of stealing or doing damage.
Bye-law or bylaw a law made by a local authority. It only applies within

the local authority's boundaries.
C (Back to top)
Call asking people to pay for new shares they have

applied for. A company makes a call when it asks
buyers of its new shares to pay some, or all, of the
share price. When this happens the shares are being
called up.
Called-up capital all the shares called by a company when it issues

shares. When calls have been made for the whole of
the share price and the shareholders have paid, the
shares become paid-up share capital.
Canon law the name for the rules used for running a Christian
church.
Capacity someone's ability to enter into a legal agreement. For

example, a minor would not be able to buy
something on credit.
Capital allowances allowances that you can sometimes claim when you
buy long-term assets, such as machines, to use in
your business. You claim part of the cost against
your profits before your tax is worked out for the
year.
Capital gain the profit you make if you sell or dispose of a long-
term asset (such as a building) for more than it cost
you.
Capital gains tax a tax charged on certain capital gains.
Capital punishment punishing someone for a crime by killing them.
Capital redemption A company has to have this reserve in its financial

reserve records and in its accounts if any of the shares it has
issued are cancelled. The reserve cannot be paid out
to the members until the company is liquidated and
so it prevents the company's capital being reduced.
Careless driving driving a car without consideration for other people

using the road.
Care order an order by a court instructing the local authority to

care for a child.
Cartel an agreement between businesses to restrict

competition and keep prices high.
Case law law that is based on the results of previous court

cases.
Case stated the written statement setting out the facts of a case.
It is produced by a magistrates' court when asking
the High Court for an opinion on the law.
Causation one thing being done causing something else to

happen.
Cause of action the reason someone is entitled to sue someone else.
Causing death by an offence committed by someone who is unfit to

careless and drive because of drink or drugs, but nevertheless
inconsiderate driving drives a vehicle and kills another person. The
punishment for careless and inconsiderate driving is
less severe than for dangerous driving.
Causing death by a criminal offence committed by someone whose

dangerous driving driving is dangerous and results in another person
being killed. The courts consider dangerous driving
to be a very serious offence.
Caution is:
a warning given by the police to a suspected

criminal when the suspect is arrested;
a warning given by the police when they
release a suspect without prosecution that, if
there are any more offences committed by the
suspect, the first possible offence may be taken
into account; or
a document sent to the Land Registry by
someone who may have a right over land,
which demands that no dealings in the land are
registered until the person with the right has
been told.
Caveat a warning. (This is a Latin term.)
Caveat emptor 'buyer beware'. It is used to warn people buying

goods that they may not be able to get compensation
if the goods they buy are faulty. (This is a Latin term.)
Central Criminal Court the most senior court covering the centre of London.
Certificate of a certificate stating that a company has been

incorporation incorporated (that is, it has a separate existence from
its members). The Registrar of Companies issues
the certificate of incorporation once a company has
been formed.
Certificate of origin a certificate stating in which country the goods being

imported were made.
Certiorari an order by the High Court that a case should be

reviewed. If the High Court considers that a case
heard in a lower court is flawed it may order that it be
reviewed by the High Court. (This word is Latin.)
Challenge for cause when the defence objects to a juror and says why it
objects.
Challenge to a jury when either side in a case objects to the people who
have been selected to serve on the jury before they
are sworn in.
Challenge to the array when the defence objects to all the jurors.
Challenge without happens when the defence objects to a juror but

cause does not say why.
Chambers the offices used by barristers and the judge's private

office.
Chancery Division a section of the High Court. It deals with cases

involving trusts, land, company law, patents and so
on.
Charge means:
to formally accuse someone of committing a

crime;
to use property as security for a debt (such as
a mortgage); or
a direction given by a judge to tell the jury what
they must do.
Chargeable event an event that may create a tax liability (tax bill).
Chargeable gain a gain on which capital gains tax is payable. If a

capital asset such as a building is sold or disposed of
at a profit, tax on the gain has to be worked out
unless the capital asset is one exempted by law.
Charge certificate a certificate which the Land Registry issues to the

legal mortgagee (the lender) who has lent money on
the security of registered land. It is proof of the legal
mortgagee's right to the security.
Charges clause a clause which appears in some contracts and sets

out who should pay for certain items.
Charge sheet the document on which a police officer records

details of the accusation against a suspect.
Charges register part of the certificate which is evidence of someone's

title. The register shows details of any mortgages,
restrictions on the use of the land or rights someone
else may have over the land such as a right of way.
Charging clause trustees can charge the trust for their services if
there is a charging clause.
Charging order a court judgement which a creditor may get against

the person or organisation which owes the money,
giving the creditor security over the debtor's property
for repayment of the debt.
Charity an organisation set up to do good for the community,

such as help poor people, educate people and
protect animals. Most charities are registered with
the Charity Commission.
Charity Commission an organisation responsible for checking that

charities are run properly. It also decides whether
proposed charities can be placed on the register of
charities.
Chattel any property except freehold land.
Chattels personal the name for tangible goods (goods which can be
touched) such as watches, clothes, furniture and so
on.
Chattels real another name for leasehold land.
Cheat a person who fails to send tax returns to the tax

authorities or fails to pay the tax owing, such as
income tax or value added tax.
Cheque a written order, addressed to a bank, instructing the

bank to pay an amount of money to the person or
organisation named on the cheque. The bank takes
the money out of the relevant customer's account.
Cheque card a card issued by a bank to a customer. It guarantees

that a cheque used with the card will be paid if the
person issuing the cheque has kept to all the
conditions.
Chief rent money charged regularly on freehold land. Despite

its name it is not rent.
Child abuse molestation or ill-treatment suffered by a child.
Child assessment an order which a local authority may apply to a court

order for to assess a child's situation if there are concerns
about the child's welfare.
Children in care children looked after by a local authority. The local

authority takes on the responsibility for the children
as if it was a parent.
Child Support Agency part of the Department of Social Security. It

supervises the assessment and payment of
maintenance for children.
Child Support the amount of maintenance the parent not living with
Maintenance their child must pay.
Chose an item of property (anything which can be owned).
Chose in action a right such as a patent, or a right to recover a debt.

A chose in action does not physically exist. For
example, you cannot touch patents or rights because
they have no physical existence.
Chose in possession an object which physically exists, such as furniture.
Circuit any of the six legal regions into which the United
Kingdom is divided up. Each circuit has its own
system to administer the courts within the circuit.
Circuit judge a judge who presides over (is in charge of) cases in
the Crown Court and county courts.
Circumstantial evidence which suggests a fact but does not prove

evidence the fact is true.
Citation is:
a summons to appear in court;

quoting from a completed case to support an
argument; or
a notice sent out by someone wanting grant of
probate or letters of administration, asking
people to come forward if they object to it.
Citizen's arrest an arrest by someone who is not a police officer. The

offence must be being committed or have already
been committed when the arrest is done.
Civil court a court which does not hear criminal cases. It deals
with people's rights such as collection of debts.
Claim means:
to apply for a right;

to demand a remedy; or
an application for something such as a right.
Claimant the person making a claim.
Clause a section in a contract.
Clearing bank one of several major banks which work together to

exchange and pay for cheques which their
customers have written.
Clerk to the Justices a solicitor or barrister who helps in court by advising

the magistrates.
Close company a company controlled by five people or fewer, or by

its directors.
Closing order an order prohibiting the use of a house because the

house is not fit for humans to live in.
Codicil extra pages to change a valid will which needs a

minor alteration. The codicil must be signed and
witnessed and then be attached to the will.
Codifying statute a statute used to bring together all the strands of the
law on a particular subject.
Coercion a defence that a crime was committed because the

person accused was forced to do it.
Collateral extra security for a debt. If there is a main security for

a debt, such as a house being security for a
mortgage, any extra security supplied is called
collateral.
Commissioner for a person appointed by the Lord Chancellor to

oaths administer (manage) the swearing of oaths.
Committal for sentence happens when magistrates have found someone

guilty of a crime but they think their sentencing
powers are not enough. The magistrates transfer the
case to the Crown Court where a higher sentence
can be imposed.
Committal for trial when magistrates look at the evidence in a case and
then send the case to be heard in the Crown Court.
Committal order an order used to send someone to prison for
contempt of court.
Committal proceedings a hearing where magistrates work out if there is

enough evidence of a serious crime to justify a trial
by jury.
Committee of a committee appointed from the creditors of a

inspection company in liquidation to oversee the liquidator's
work.
Common assault when someone threatens another person with

physical harm, even if they are not touched. This is a
less serious type of assault (compare with
aggravated assault). Threatening someone with a
weapon such as a knife or gun is common assault.
Common duty of care the duty of the occupier of premises or land to take
reasonable care of visitors to make sure that they are
kept safe.
Common seal the seal companies use to authenticate (validate)

important company documents. The company's
name is engraved on the seal.
Commorientes closely related people who die at the same time, and
it is unclear which of them died first. (This term is
Latin.)
Community service an order to do work in the community without pay. If

order someone has been convicted of a crime they may be
given a community service order as an alternative to
being sent to prison.
Companies House the office which stores company information such as

annual accounts, directors' names and addresses
and the registered office address. People who are
interested in a company can inspect some of the
information stored.
Company secretary a person appointed by the directors of a company

who is responsible for making sure that the company
complies with the Companies Acts.
Compensation money paid to make up for damage or loss caused.
Compensation for loss lump-sum compensation a company pays to an

of office employee whose contract has been ended.
Compensation order an order by a court to a criminal to compensate the

victim of the crime.
Completion transferring property in exchange for payment. When

there is a contract to sell land, there will be an initial
payment to confirm the contract. Completion
happens when the ownership of the land is
transferred to the person buying it, in return for the
seller receiving the rest of the purchase price.
Composition with an arrangement between a debtor and the creditors.

creditors The creditors agree to accept a proportion of what is
owed to them in full settlement.
Compulsory purchase taking land and giving compensation for it. When
land is needed for a project, such as a road, local
authorities and other public bodies can take the land
off the landowner. Compensation has to be paid to
the landowner.
Compulsory winding the liquidation of a company by order of the court. It

up usually happens because the company has not been
able to pay its bills on time and a creditor has
presented to the court a petition for winding up the
company.
Concealment failure by one side negotiating a contract to disclose

(reveal) information which the other side would need
to consider when deciding whether or not to go
ahead.
Concealment of hiding or destroying a document such as a will to

securities gain benefit for yourself or cause other people loss of
benefit.
Conclusive evidence evidence which by law cannot be disputed.
Concurrent sentence when someone is sentenced for different crimes and

the sentences are to be served at the same time.
Condition a fundamental part of an agreement. The agreement

or contract may collapse if a condition is broken.
Conditional agreement an agreement which depends on a certain thing

happening in the future. If the event does not happen
the agreement will not start to operate.
Conditional discharge A court may decide not to punish a criminal

immediately for an offence and may conditionally
discharge the criminal instead. If the criminal re-
offends the court may impose a punishment for the
original offence as well as the later ones.
Conditional sale an agreement by which the seller remains the owner
agreement of the goods until all the instalments have been paid
and all other conditions have been met.
Condition precedent something which must happen before a contract

starts.
Condition subsequent something which may happen in the future and, if it

does, will affect a contract.
Confiscation order If someone has been convicted of a crime the court

may order the person convicted to pay the court a
sum of money. This is called a confiscation order.
Consecutive sentence when someone is sentenced for different crimes and

the sentences have to be served one after another.
Consent to agree to something. A contract would not be valid

unless all the parties consented to it.
Consideration the price you pay for something.
Consignee the person goods have been sent to.
Consignor the person who sent the goods.
Consistory Court a court for the clergy. There is one in each diocese.
Conspiracy is:
an agreement by two or more people to commit

a crime; or
some people acting together and harming a
third party.
Constructive describing something which may not be set out in the

law but will nevertheless be considered to exist.
Constructive dismissal because the employer has broken fundamental

terms of the contract of employment the employee
has been forced to resign. The employee can apply
for a hearing before an industrial tribunal.
Constructive notice presuming something is known. The law sometimes

presumes that a person knows something even
though they do not.
Consumer credit an agreement by a creditor, such as a bank, to

agreement provide up to £25,000 of credit to a consumer.
Contempt of court the offence of:
disobeying a court order;

abusing a judge during a court case; or
interfering in the administration of justice.
Contemptuous tiny damages. Sometimes, even though a case has

damages been won, the court may consider that it should not
have been brought to court and will only award tiny
damages.
Contingency fee the claimant's lawyer gets paid the fee only if the
case is won by the claimant. The fee is often a
proportion of the damages won.
Contingent legacy a gift in a will which will only be made if certain

conditions are met.
Contract an agreement between two or more people (or

groups) to do (or not to do) something. The
agreement can be enforced by law.
Contract for services a contract under which materials and services are
provided by a contractor.
Contract of exchange a contract to exchange goods without money being

involved (barter).
Contract of service the contract between employer and employee.
Contributory your own carelessness contributing to the damage

negligence done to you or your property. When someone suffers
damage or injury their claim for damages may be
limited if they have contributed to the harm done
through their own carelessness.
Conversion is:
exchanging one sort of property for another

(such as exchanging money for goods); or
acting unlawfully to deprive someone of their
ownership of goods.
Convey to transfer the ownership of something.
Conveyance the name of the document which transfers the

ownership of land.
Conveyancing the name for carrying out all the actions needed to
transfer the ownership of a piece of land.
Conviction being found guilty of a criminal offence.
Copyright a legal right which stops things being copied without

permission. If you have the copyright over something
(such as a book or music), nobody can copy it or
reproduce it without your permission.
Coroner a person who investigates the cause of death when

a person has suffered a sudden, violent or
suspicious death.
Corporate body(or a group of people acting together, such as a club.

corporation) The group has a separate legal identity from the
individual members' identities. A company is another
example of a corporate body.
Corporation tax a tax which companies pay on their profits.
Corpus the name for a body (usually dead). (This word is

Latin.)
Corpus delicti is:
the body of a person who has been killed

unlawfully; or
the facts which make up an offence.(This
phrase is Latin.)
Counsel a barrister or group of barristers.
Counterclaim making a claim in court against someone who has

already made a claim in court against you.
Counterfeit something that is forged or copied with the intention

of deceiving.
Counterpart an exact copy of a document.
County court a court which deals with civil cases such as disputes
over unpaid debts and negligence claims. It does not
deal with criminal cases.
County court judge a judge who presides over (is in charge of) cases in
the county courts.
Coupon a dated piece of paper attached to a bond. The

coupon has to be surrendered (given back) to get the
interest or dividend on the bond.
Court of Appeal a court which hears appeals against the decisions of

other courts.
Court of Protection a court which administers (manages) the assets and
affairs of people who cannot look after themselves,

such as people who are mentally ill.
Covenant a contract or legally binding promise.
Creditor a person you owe money to.
Creditors' voluntary If a company is insolvent (cannot pay its debts when

winding up. they are due for payment) the members can pass a
special resolution to have the company wound up
(liquidated). This is called a creditors' voluntary
winding up.
Criminal damage the criminal offence of causing damage to someone

else's property either recklessly or intentionally.
Criminal responsibility When someone reaches the age when the law says
they are able to commit a criminal offence they have
reached the age of criminal responsibility.
Cross-examine to question a witness for the other side in a case.
Crown Court the court where people indicted of criminal offences

are tried.
Culpa blameworthiness or a fault. (This word is Latin.)
Cum dividend with dividend. If a share is sold cum dividend, the

buyer will receive the dividend that was declared just
before the share was bought.
Cumulative preference
shares shares which carry forward unpaid dividends. If

dividends on these shares have not been paid in
previous years the arrears must be paid before a
dividend can be paid on the ordinary shares.
Curfew a court ordering someone to stay at a named place

at stated times of the day.
Customs duties duties which are charged on imports of goods into

the UK and on some exports.
D (Back to top)
Damages the name for money awarded by a court as

compensation.
Dangerous driving a standard of driving which falls far below that of a
careful, competent driver and it would be obvious to

such a driver that it was dangerous to drive that way.
A driver found guilty of dangerous driving would be
disqualified from driving by the court.
Debenture a document issued by a company which

acknowledges that some or all of the company's
assets are security for a debt (usually to a bank). It is
also the name for certain long-term loans to
companies.
Debt money owed.
Debtor someone who owes you money.
Debt securities debts which can be bought and sold, such as

debentures.
Deceit when one person deliberately misleads a second

person with a statement which causes the second
person to do something that causes them damage.
Decree an order by a court.
Decree absolute the final court order which ends a marriage.
Decree nisi a provisional court order which orders that a

marriage should be dissolved.
Deed a legal document which commits the person signing

it to something.
Deed of arrangement a written agreement which can be made, when a

debtor is in financial trouble, between the debtor and
the creditors. It is intended to benefit the creditors
and avoid the bankruptcy of the debtor. The creditors
get a proportion of the money owing to them.
De facto in fact or in reality. (This term is Latin.)
Defamation making a statement, either orally or in writing, which

damages someone's reputation.
Default failing to do something which had been agreed to.
Defence the name for the team of people (lawyers and so on)
defending against proceedings brought against
someone. It is also in a civil case a written statement
(pleading) by the defendant setting out the facts that
the defence will rely on.
Defendant a person defending a court action which has been

taken against them.
De jure rightfully. (This term is Latin.)
De minimis non curat the law will not take account of trifling matters. (This
lex phrase is Latin.)
Dependant someone who depends on someone else for

financial support.
Deponent a person who swears on oath that a statement is

correct.
Deposition a statement, by a witness, made under oath.
Depreciation the drop in value of an asset due to wear and tear,

age and obsolescence (going out of date), as
recorded in an organisation's financial records.
Derogation damaging someone's rights or entitlements.
Determination ending an agreement.
Devise to leave land in a will.
Devisee the person who is left freehold property or land in a

will.
Diminished a defence sometimes used for someone charged

responsibility with murder, that they suffered lowered powers of
reasoning and judgement because of their unusual
state of mind. If their defence succeeds they will be
convicted of manslaughter.
Diocese the area covered by a bishop's authority.
Diplomatic immunity immunity given to certain members of foreign

embassies, such as ambassadors, for crimes they
may have committed.
Direction/directing judges must give juries instructions on points of law.

This is called directing the jury.
Director a person appointed to help manage a company's

affairs.
Disbursement a payment made by a professional person, such as a

solicitor or accountant, on behalf of a client. The
money is claimed back by including it on the bill for
professional services which is sent to the client.
Discharge release from:
a commitment such as a debt;

a contract because it has finished or the parties
agree to end it; or
a punishment for a crime.
Disclaim/disclaimer to give up a claim or a right or refuse to take over an

onerous (having more obligations than advantages)
contract. A disclaimer can also be a notice to limit
responsibility.
Discovery one party in a civil case revealing to the other party

the documents relevant to the case under the first
party's control and allowing them to be inspected.
Discretionary trust a trust in which the trustees can decide who will
benefit from the trust and how much they will get.
Disposal (dispose of) selling, transferring or giving away something.
Distrain/distress to seize goods as security for an unpaid debt.
Divorce the legal end to a marriage.
Divorce petition an application for the legal ending of a marriage.
Domicile the country where your permanent home is, even if

you are living somewhere else for now.
Domiciled permanently based in a country.
Domicile of choice the country in which you make your home, intending
it to be permanent.
Domicile of origin the domicile a newborn child has. This is usually its
father's domicile or, if the father is dead, its mother's.
Drawee the organisation which will pay a bill of exchange

(such as a cheque). In the case of a cheque, this is
the bank that the cheque is drawn on.
Drawer the person or organisation that has written a bill of

exchange, such as a person who has written a
cheque.
Duress threatening or pressurising someone to do

something.
Duty a levy charged by the Government, usually when

things are bought, such as shares or buildings.
E (Back to top)
Easement a right to use someone else's land, such as a right of

way.
Enabling legislation legislation which authorises government ministers or

bodies to create detailed rules to accomplish general
principles set out in the legislation. For example it
may allow a minister to create rules or laws for a
particular body, such as the police, to follow.
Endorsement a change to the original terms of a contract, such as

an insurance policy.
Endowment policy a type of insurance policy which will pay out a lump
sum on a fixed date in the future, or when you die if
this happens earlier.
Enduring power of a power of attorney which takes effect in the future. If

attorney a person is capable of dealing with their own affairs
at present, they can sign an enduring power of
attorney. It will only come into effect when they are
no longer capable of looking after their own affairs. It
gives authority to the person appointed to act for the
person who signed the power of attorney.
Engrossment preparing the final version of a legal document ready

for it to be executed (made valid such as with a
signature).
Equitable mortgage the type of mortgage where the purchaser owns the
property which is security for the mortgage.
Escrow a deed which has been supplied but cannot become

effective until a future date, or until a particular event
happens.
Estate is:
all a person owns at the date of their death; or

the right to use land for a period of time.
Estimate an offer to do stated work for a set price.
Estoppel a rule of law that a person cannot deny something

they previously said, if someone else acted on what
was said and their position was changed, possibly
for the worse, as a result.
Et seq 'and in the following pages'. It is sometimes written in

books and documents. (This phrase is abbreviated
from the Latin 'et sequeus'.)
Euthanasia killing someone to end their suffering.
Excess of jurisdiction someone such as a judge acting without authority.
Exchange of contract swapping identical contracts. When land is sold, the

person selling and the person buying both sign
identical copies of the contract and exchange them.
The contract is then binding on both of them.
Excise duty a type of tax levied on certain goods such as petrol.

It is also levied on some activities such as gambling
and on certain licences for activities (such as driving
a car on the public roads).
Exclusions the things an insurance policy does not provide

cover for. They will be listed in the insurance policy.
Exclusive licence a licence under which only the licence holder has
any rights.
Ex dividend without dividend. If a share is sold ex dividend, the

seller will receive the dividend declared just before it
was sold.
Execute to carry out a contract.
Executed describing a document which is made valid (in the

eyes of the law) such as by being signed or sealed.
Executive director a director who usually works full time as a director of

the company.
Executor a man appointed in a will to deal with the estate,

according to the wishes set out in the will. Today it is
often used to refer to a woman as well.
Executory describing something, such as a contract, which has

not been started yet.
Executrix a woman appointed in a will to deal with the estate,

according to the wishes set out in the will.
Exemplary damages damages given as a punishment for the defendant.
Ex gratia describing something done or given as a favour

rather than a legal obligation. (This term is Latin.)
Ex parte done by one side only in a case. (This term is Latin.

Since April 1999, it is often replaced with 'without
notice'.)
Expert witness an expert in a particular field who is called to give an

opinion in a court case.
Ex post facto describing a law which is retrospective (it affects past

acts as well as future ones). (This term is Latin.)
Extradition the handing over of a criminal to the country the

crime was committed in.
Extraordinary general a general meeting of the members of a company

meeting which is not the annual general meeting.
Extraordinary a resolution for consideration by the members of a

resolution company at a general meeting of the members.
Ex works available from the factory. When something is sold

ex works the buyer can collect it from the place it
was manufactured or from some other place agreed
by the buyer and seller.
F (Back to top)
Factor is:
someone buying or selling for a commission; or

an organisation which provides finance for a
business by advancing money on the value of
the invoices the business sends out.
False imprisonment wrongfully keeping someone in custody (for example

in prison).
False pretence misleading someone by deliberately making a false

statement.
False representation lying in a statement to persuade someone to enter a

contract.
Family Division the part of the High Court dealing with marriage
breakdowns and probate.
Felony the former term used for serious crimes such as rape
or murder. It is still in use in the USA.
Feme covert a woman who is married.
Feme sole a woman who is not married or no longer married.
Feu a lease which lasts for ever.
Feu duty a yearly charge on a feu (which only applies in

Scotland).
Fiduciary in a position of trust. This includes people such as

trustees looking after trust assets for the
beneficiaries and company directors running a
company for the shareholders' benefit.
Final judgement the court's final decision in a civil case.
Fitness to plead whether or not the person charged is capable of

making an informed decision. If, because of mental
illness, a person charged with an offence is unable to
understand what is going on the person may not be
fit to plead guilty or not guilty.
Fixed charge a charge which provides security for money lent. The
charge is over a specific property.
Floating charge a charge used to provide security for money lent to a

company. The charge is over the company's liquid
assets (such as stocks and debtors) but it is only
triggered by an event such as liquidation.
Forbearance when one party to an agreement does not pursue

rights under the agreement even though the other
party has not kept to its terms. An example would be
someone not suing to recover an overdue debt.
Force majeure an event which cannot be controlled and which stops

duties under an agreement from being carried out.
(This phrase is French.)
Foreclosure repossessing property. If a mortgagor (the borrower)

has failed to keep up the repayments on a mortgage,
the mortgagee (the lender) may apply to the High
Court for an order that the debt be repaid by a
particular date. If the debt is not repaid the property
will be repossessed. This procedure is called
foreclosure.
Forfeiture the loss of possession of a property because the

tenancy conditions have not been met by the tenant.
Fostering looking after other people's children. Sometimes

children are looked after by people who are not their
parents (natural or adopted). It usually happens
because the parents cannot look after the children
properly because of changed circumstances such as
illness.
Fraud lying or deceiving to make a profit or gain an

advantage, or to cause someone else to make a loss
or suffer a disadvantage.
Fraudulent conveyance ownership of land being transferred without

consideration and with the intention of defrauding
someone.
Fraudulent preference someone who is insolvent paying one of their

creditors while knowing there is not enough money to
pay the others.
Fraudulent trading running a business with the intention of defrauding

its creditors or other people.
Freehold describing land that only the owner has any rights
over.
Free of encumbrances no one else having any rights over something. When
property is owned by someone and nobody else has
any rights over it, it is owned free of encumbrances.
Frustration stopping a contract. Sometimes a contract cannot be

carried out because something has happened which
makes it impossible. This is called frustration of
contract.
Futures contract a binding contract to buy or sell something on a date

in the future at a fixed price.
G (Back to top)
Garnishee order a court order to a third party who owes money to a

judgement debtor to pay the money to the judgement
creditor.
General damages damages a court will give to compensate for a wrong

done without needing specific proof that damage has
been done to the claimant ('plaintiff' before April
1999). The court presumes that losses or damage
exist such as in a libel case.
General meeting a meeting of the members of a company to make

decisions about the company.
Grant proof that you are entitled to deal with a dead

person's estate. The grant is issued by the Probate
Registry.
Grant of probate a certificate proving that the executors of a will are

entitled to deal with the estate. When a person dies
the executors fill in various forms for the Probate
Registry. The forms are then sent to the registry
together with the will and the death certificate. A
registrar examines all the documents and, once
satisfied with everything, issues the grant of probate.
Grievous bodily harm intentionally causing serious physical harm to

someone. This is more serious than actual bodily
harm.
Guarantee a promise by a person (the guarantor) to repay a

debt owed by a second person if the second person
fails to repay it. For example, a guarantee is
sometimes required by a bank before it will lend
money to a customer.
Guarantee company a company whose members only have to pay the

amount they have agreed to contribute, if the
company has to be wound up. They do not have to
pay in extra money if there is not enough to pay all
the company's debts.
Guarantor a person or organisation that promises to pay a debt

owed by a second person, if the second person fails
to repay it.
Guardian a person appointed formally to look after the

interests of a child, or of someone who is not
capable of looking after their own affairs.
Guilty - a court's verdict that the person charged with a

crime committed it.
H (Back to top)
Habeas corpus a writ which can be applied for to order a person's

release if they have been imprisoned unlawfully.
Harassment of debtors the illegal act of attempting to collect a debt by

threatening, or habitually acting in a way that
humiliates or distresses, a debtor.
Harassment of the illegal act by a landlord of using, or threatening to

occupiers use, violence, or interfering with the tenant's
enjoyment of the property, in an attempt to
repossess the property.
Hearsay evidence evidence given in court of something said to the

witness by another person.
Hereditament any property which is capable of being inherited.
High Court (of Justice) part of the Supreme Court. It is split into three
divisions called:
Queen's Bench Division;

Chancery Division; and
Family Division.
Hire to pay to borrow something for a period.
Hire purchase a form of credit which allows the purchaser to have

possession of the goods shown in the hire purchase
agreement. Ownership passes to the purchaser
when the fee and all the instalments have been paid.
HM Customs and a government department responsible for

Excise administering (managing) value added tax, customs
duties and excise duties.
HM Land Registry a registry with offices in towns and cities throughout

the UK which keep records of registered land.
Holding company a company which controls another company, usually

by owning more than half of its shares.
Hostile witness a witness who:
refuses to testify in support of the people who

called them; or
testifies in a way which differs from their
previous statement.
House of Lords the highest court in the UK.
Housing associations organisations run to provide housing for people.

They are not intended to make a profit.
Hypothecation a person giving a bank authority to sell goods which

have been pledged to the bank as security for a loan.
I (Back to top)
Indict using legal means, to officially accuse someone of

committing an offence.
Indictable offence an offence which can be tried by jury in the Crown

Court.
Indictment a document setting out the details of the offence a
defendant is accused of.
Intangible property property which does not physically exist, such as a

right or a patent.
Interest a legal right to use property.
Interlocutory a provisional judgement. (Since April 1999, this had

judgement been replaced with the phrase 'Judgment for an
amount and costs to be decided by the court').
Interlocutory the first things to be done before a civil case comes

proceedings to trial. They include pleading (preparing the formal
written statement) and discovery (stating the
documents, under one party's control, which are
relevant to the case and making them available to
the other party) so that there are no surprises when
the trial starts.
Interrogatories in a civil case, formal questions from one side which

the other side must answer under oath.
Intestacy/intestate when someone dies without leaving a will. Their

estate is divided up between their relatives following
the rules set by law.
Intimidation threatening or frightening someone into doing

something.
Issue the legal word for:
children; or
the matter to be decided by a court action.
Issued share capital share capital which has been allocated to

shareholders who have subscribed for (asked for)
shares.
J (Back to top)
Joint and several two or more people responsible for repaying a debt.
liability They are each responsible individually to repay all
the debt as well as being responsible as a group.
Joint lives policy a life assurance policy on more than one person's
life. The policy pays out on the first death.
Joint tenancy two or more people having identical shares in land.
Joint will a single will which two or more people make to cover
all their estates. Probate has to be obtained on each

death.
Joyriding taking a vehicle without permission and using or

allowing it to be used without authority.
Judge a person whose job is to adjudicate in court cases.

The Crown and the Prime Minister appoint judges.
Most are barristers but some are solicitors.
Judge advocate a lawyer who advises a military court which is trying

an offence.
Judge Advocate a lawyer who is in charge of military justice in the

General British Army and the Royal Air Force.
Judge Advocate
General's
Department a government department which appoints barristers

to advise army and air force courts.
Judge Advocate of the
Fleet a lawyer who is in charge of military justice in the

British Navy.
(Office of the)Judge
Advocate of the Fleet a government department which appoints barristers

to advise naval courts.
Judge in chambers describes a hearing in front of a judge which is not

held in court.
Judgement a decision by a court.
Judgement creditor a person who is owed money and who has been to
court and obtained a judgement for the money owed.
Judgement debtor a person who owes the money a court judgement

says is owed.
Judgement in default getting a judgement against you because youfailed

to do something. If a civil case has gone to court but
the defendant does not do something required by the
court (such as turn up), judgement for the claimant
('plaintiff' before April 1999) may be given.
Judgement summons a summons to appear in court to disclose (reveal)

income and assets under oath because a judgement
debtor has failed to pay the judgement debt.
Judicial discretion a degree of flexibility about the way courts do things.
Judicial immunity immunity that a judge normally has from being sued
for damages when acting as a judge.
Judicial precedent Lower courts have to follow the decisions of higher

courts. This is called judicial precedent, binding
precedent or precedent.
Judicial separation a court order that two married people should live
apart.
Junior barrister a barrister who is not a Queen's Counsel.
Jurisdiction is:
the territory in which a court can operate;

the power it has to deal with particular cases;
or
the power it has to issue orders.
Juror one of the people who are acting as a jury.
Jury a group of people (usually 12) who review all the

evidence in a court case and then come to a verdict.
Jury service serving on a jury. Most people between the ages of

18 and 70 can be required to serve on a jury.
Just and equitable a winding up ordered because fairness cannot be

winding up achieved for all the members of a company.
Justice of the Peace a person appointed by the Crown to act as a

(JP) magistrate.
Justification claiming that a defamatory statement is true. In a

defamation case a defendant may admit that the
claimant ('plaintiff' before April 1999)'s allegations
are true but plead that the statement which defamed
was true.
Justifying bail proving to the court that the person giving the surety
has the assets to pay the bail.
Juvenile offender a person aged between 10 and 17 who has

committed a criminal offence.
K (Back to top)
Kerb crawling the offence committed in a street or public place by a

man in a motor vehicle (or near a vehicle he has just
got out of) who approaches a woman for sexual
services in return for money.
Kidnap to take someone away by force against their will.
Knock for knock an agreement between insurance companies that

they will pay for their own policyholders' losses
regardless of who was to blame.
Know-how the expertise in an organisation which may be

protected by a patent.
L (Back to top)
Land includes:
the buildings built on the land;

the subsoil;
the airspace above the land necessary for
ordinary use of the land; and
property fixed to the land.
Lawsuit a claim made in a court of law.
Leading question a question which:
suggests the answer to be given; or

assumes things to be true which in fact are
disputed.
Lease a contract between the owner of a property and a

tenant, giving the tenant sole use of the property for
an agreed time.
Leasehold property held by a tenant with a lease.
Legacy a gift left to someone in a will, but not including land.
Legal aid scheme a scheme for paying legal costs out of public funds
for people who cannot afford to pay for them.
Legatee the person who receives a legacy.
Lessee the person a property has been leased to.
Lessor the person who lets a property by lease.
Letter of credit a letter one bank sends to a second bank asking
them to pay money to a named person.
Letters of an authority the courts give to a person to deal with a

administration dead person's estate. It is given when someone dies
intestate.
Liabilities the debts that a person or organisation owes.
Liability a debt or obligation.
Libel a false statement made in writing or in some other

permanent record (such as a film).
Licence an authority to do something.
Licensed conveyancer a person authorised to do conveyancing (but not

including solicitors).
Licensee the holder of a licence to do something.
Lien the right to keep possession of something owned by

someone who owes a debt, until the debt has been
settled.
Life assurance policy a contract between the policyholder and the

(or life insurance insurance company. The insurance company pays
policy) out if the policyholder dies.
Life assured the person whose life is assured by a life assurance

policy.
Life imprisonment a sentence given to a criminal to be imprisoned for

the rest of their life (though the Home Secretary may
release them early on parole).
Life interest an interest which will pass to someone else when the
present owner dies.
Life tenant someone entitled to use property for the rest of their
life.
Limited company a company which limits how much its members will
have to pay if the company is wound up. The
members of most limited companies will only have to
pay any money unpaid on their shares. If a company
limited by guarantee is wound up, the money its
members have to pay is limited to the amount shown
in the memorandum of association.
Liquidated damages damages agreed beforehand by the parties to a

contract in case one of them should later break the
terms of the contract.
Liquidation the process of winding up a company by disposing of

its assets, paying its creditors in a strict order of
priority and distributing any money left among the
members.
Liquidator the person appointed to wind up a company.
Litigant a person involved in a lawsuit.
Litigation taking legal action through the courts.
Loan capital money borrowed by an organisation.
Loan creditor a person or organisation which has lent money to an

organisation.
M (Back to top)
Magistrate a Justice of the Peace who presides over (is in

charge of) minor cases heard in the magistrates'
court.
Magistrates' court the lowest court. The things it deals with include
minor criminal cases, most criminal cases involving
10- to 17-year-olds, issuing alcoholic drink licences
and hearing child welfare cases.
Maintenance money paid (and things paid for) to support a partner

(husband or wife) and children when a marriage has
failed.
Majority the age when a person gains full legal rights and
responsibilities. In the UK it is when a person
becomes 18 years old.
Male issue male descendants (sons only) of men.
Malfeasance an unlawful act.
Malice intending to do something which is against the law.
Malice aforethought planning to kill someone or intending to do

something which is likely to kill.
Malicious falsehood a written or spoken lie told to harm somebody and

which does do harm.
Malicious prosecution a prosecution which is brought unreasonably.
Mandate an authority to act given by one party to another. An

example is when a bank's customer writes
instructions on the mandate for the bank to follow
when operating the customer's account.
Manslaughter killing someone illegally but by accident.
Market overt a lawful market in which, as long as someone buying

goods is not aware that they do not belong to the
seller, the buyer will get a good title to the goods.
Martial law government of a country by the military.
Master of the Rolls the person in charge of:
the Civil Division of the Appeal Court; and

admitting solicitors to the roll of solicitors in
practice.
Material facts facts which are a key part of a defence or a claim.
Matricide the killing of a mother by her son or daughter.
Matrimonial causes the court proceedings:
to divorce people;
to separate a married couple; or
to dissolve a marriage.
Matrimonial home the house that a husband and wife live in as a

married couple.
Mediation help from an independent person (a mediator) to

solve differences between a husband and wife
whose marriage has broken down. The mediator
helps them to agree what should be done about their
children, money and so on.
Memorandum and The memorandum gives details of a company's

articles of association name, objects (purposes) and share capital. It also
sets out the limits of the shareholders' liability if the
company has to be wound up. The articles set out
the members' rights and the directors' powers.
Mens rea the intent to commit a crime and also the knowledge
that an act is wrong. (This term is Latin.)
Mercantile law the branch of the law dealing with commerce.
Merchantable quality the assumption in the law that goods sold by a

business will be fit for their purpose.
Mesne profits income lost by a landlord because the property is

occupied without the landlord's permission. An
example would be a tenant failing to leave the
property when the tenancy finished.
It is also the profits lost by a landowner when

wrongly deprived of the use of his or her land.
Messuage a house together with its land and outbuildings.
Minor someone who has not yet reached the age when
they get full legal rights and responsibilities. In the
UK this is a person under 18 years old.
Minority being under the age of full legal rights and

responsibilities.
Minutes a record of the meetings held by members and

directors of companies.
Misadventure an unexpected accident which happens while

lawfully doing something.
Miscarriage of justice the court system failing to give justice to someone.
Misconduct deliberately doing something which is against the law

or which is wrong.
Misdirection a judge instructing a jury wrongly.
Misfeasance when:
something is done badly even though it is still

legal; or
a company officer does something which is a
breach of trust or a breach of duty.
Misrepresentation a lie told to persuade someone to enter into a

contract.
Mistrial a trial that has been made invalid.
Mitigation putting facts to a judge, after someone has been

found guilty, to justify a lower sentence.
Molest/Molestation behaviour by a person which annoys or greatly

troubles their children or spouse. The behaviour can
include violence, verbal threats and written threats.
Money laundering making money from crime and then passing it

through a business to make it appear legitimate.
Moratorium an agreement not to take action to recover a debt for

an agreed period of time.
Mortgage using property as security for a debt. It is also the

name for the contract which is signed by the
borrower and lender when money is lent using
property as security for a loan.
Mortgagee the lender of the money which is secured by a

mortgage.
Mortgagor the person who borrows the money to buy a

property. The lending is secured with a mortgage of
the property.
Motive a reason for a person doing something.
Muniments documents which are evidence of a right to

something.
N (Back to top)
Naked trust a trust which holds property for a person until they
ask the trustee to return it.
Naturalisation giving a citizen of one country citizenship of another.
Negligence lack of proper care to do a duty properly.
Negligent lacking proper care to do a duty properly.
Negotiable instrument a document which:
is signed;
is an instruction to pay an amount of money;
can have its ownership changed by changing
the name it is paid to; and
can have its ownership changed simply by
being delivered to its next owner.
Next of kin a person's closest blood relatives.
Nondisclosure the failure by one side to a contract to disclose

(reveal) a fact to the other side that would influence
their decision to go ahead with the contract.
Non-exclusive licence an agreement giving someone the right to use

something but which does not prevent other people
being given similar agreements.
Notary a person (usually a solicitor) who is authorised to

certify documents, take affidavits and swear oaths.
Not guilty a court's verdict that the person charged with a crime
did not commit it. When criminal court cases start the
defendants are asked for their pleas. If they want to
deny they committed the offence they plead not
guilty.
If a court's verdict is that the prosecution has not

proved the defendant committed a crime, the
defendant has been found not guilty.
Notice a warning of something which is about to happen.
Notice to quit a notice to end a tenancy on a stated date. It is

usually sent by the landlord to the tenant although
the tenant can also send one to the landlord.
Not negotiable cannot be transferred. If a bill of exchange is marked

not negotiable it cannot be transferred to someone
else.
Novation replacing an existing agreement with a new one.
Nuisance doing something that harms other people's rights.
O (Back to top)
Oath swearing the truth of a statement.
Objects clause a clause which forms part of a company's

memorandum of association It sets out the purposes
the company was formed for.
Obligation a legal duty to do something.
Obligee someone who, under a contract, receives money or

has something done.
Obligor someone who is bound by a contract to pay money

or do something.
Obstruction a motoring offence involving:
leaving a vehicle or other obstruction in a road;

or
driving in a way which inconveniences other
road users.
Occupation taking control of a piece of land which belongs to

someone else.
Occupational pension a pension scheme organised by an employer for its

scheme employees.
Occupier the person who is in control of a piece of land, such

as a tenant.
Offensive weapon an object that is intended to physically injure

someone.
Offer a promise to do something, or not to do something. If

the promise is accepted it becomes legally binding.
Offeree the person who receives the legally binding offer.
Offeror the person who makes the legally binding offer.
Official receiver the person appointed to act as a receiver in

bankruptcies and company winding-up cases. The
Department of Trade and Industry appoints official
receivers.
Official secret information which the Government classifies as

confidential. It is a criminal offence to disclose an
official secret without permission.
Official Solicitor an officer of the Supreme Court whose duties include

acting for people who cannot act for themselves,
such as children or people with mental health
problems.
Omission a failure to do something.
Oppression the offence of public officials using their official

positions to harm or injure people.
Option a type of contract under which money is paid for a

right to buy or sell goods at a fixed price by a
particular date in the future.
Order an instruction by or command of a court.
Order in Council an order given by the monarch (King or Queen) after

taking advice from the members of the Privy Council.
Originating summons a summons that sets out the questions the court is
being asked to settle. When the facts in a case are
not disputed, but the interpretation of the law or of
the documents needs to be resolved, an originating
summons is prepared.
Outlaw formerly, a person who was not protected by the law.
Overt act an act done openly and from which the criminal
intention of the act is clear.
P (Back to top)
Panel the list of people who have been summoned for jury
service.
Pardon releasing someone from a court's punishment. The

Crown has the right to alter, cancel or reduce the
penalties imposed by the courts.
Pari passu equally. (This term is Latin.)
Parole release from prison early. If someone is given parole

they may be returned to prison if they offend again.
Party the claimant ('plaintiff' before April 1999) or

defendant in a lawsuit. It is also someone who has
taken out a contract or agreement.
Passing off pretending that the goods and services offered are
those supplied by another business.
Patent an official right for a specified period of time to be the

only person (or organisation) to make or sell
something.
Patricide - the killing of a father by his own son or daughter.
Pawn to pledge goods as security for a loan.
Payee the person money is being paid to.
Payment into court money paid to the court by the defendant for
payment to the claimant ('plaintiff' before April 1999).
Penalty is:
a sum of money which has to be paid if the

terms of a contract are broken; or
a punishment given to someone who commits
a crime.
Penalty points points given by a court as punishment for driving

offences. If enough penalty points have been
collected the offenders may have their driving

licences taken off them.
Per through or by. (This word is Latin.)
Performance doing what is required under a contract.
Perjury lying to a court after you have been sworn in.
Perpetuity forever. The law prevents property being tied up in

perpetuity because it could stop owners disposing of
it.
Per pro on behalf of. (This term is Latin.)
Per quod in accordance with or whereby. (This term is Latin.)
Per se in itself or by itself. (This term is Latin.)
Personal guarantee a pledge, by a person to a bank, to repay a debt

owed to the bank if the bank's customer fails to pay
it.
Personal injury an injury caused to a person.
Personal property all property except land.
Personal a person who is appointed to deal with a dead

representative person's estate. If there is a will, the executors
appointed will be the personal representatives. If
there is no will, the courts will appoint someone
called the administrator.
Personalty another word for personal property.
Personation pretending to be someone you are not.
Per stirpes describes property divided equally between the

offspring. If a parent who is a beneficiary under a will
dies and the legacy goes to the children in equal
shares, the legacy has been divided per stirpes.
(This term is Latin.)
Perverting the course doing something to interfere with the justice system
of justice (such as misleading the court or intimidating
witnesses).
Plaintiff the person who goes to court to make a claim

against someone else. (Since April 1999, this term
has been replaced with 'Claimant'.)
Plea the defendant's answer to the accusations.
Plea bargain when the defendant pleads guilty instead of not guilty
in return for a concession by the prosecution (such
as dropping another charge).
Plead to declare to the court whether you are guilty or not

guilty.
Pleadings statements of the facts prepared by both sides in a

civil case. Each side gives the other its pleadings so
that they are both aware of what arguments will be
used during the trial. (This term was replaced with
'statement of case' in April 1999).
Pledge letting someone take possession of goods but the

ownership does not change. It is often done to give
security for money owed or to make sure that
something is done as promised.
Plenipotentiary someone who has been given complete authority to

act.
Poaching taking game from someone else's land without

permission.
Polygamy being married to more than one person at once.
Possess to have property under your control.
Possession having something under your control even though

you may not own it.
Possessory title gaining title through possession. If you have

possession of something for a long time you may
gain title to it even though you do not have
documents to prove that it is yours.
Post-mortem the examination of a dead body to establish the

cause of death.
Power of appointment a person giving a second person the power to

dispose of the first person's property.
Power of attorney a document which gives power to the person

appointed by it to act for the person who signed the
document.
Practising certificate certificates showing a person is entitled to practise

law. Every year the Law Society issues these
certificates to the solicitors who can practise law.
Preamble an explanation of a proposed law. At the beginning

of each Act of Parliament there is an explanation of
what the Act is intended to achieve.
Precedent Lower courts have to follow the decisions of the

higher courts. This is called precedent, binding
precedent or judicial precedent.
Precept an order given by an official body or person. It is

used:
by a county council to tell a body to levy

(charge) rates for the benefit of the county
council;
by a sheriff to call an election; or
to order payment of a sum of money, such as
by a writ or a warrant.
Pre-emption the right to buy property before others are given the
chance to buy.
Preference when insolvent, paying one creditor while leaving

other creditors unpaid.
Preference shares a share entitled to a fixed dividend. Holders of

preference shares are treated more favourably than
ordinary shareholders. The preference dividend is at
a fixed rate and must be paid in full before a dividend
can be paid on the ordinary shares. When the
company is wound up the preference shares must be
fully paid out before the ordinary shareholders can
be paid.
Preferential creditor a creditor who has to be paid in full before unsecured

creditors can be paid anything.
Prima facie on the face of it. (This term is Latin.)
Principal is:
someone who authorises another person to act

for them;
the actual person who committed a crime; or
an amount of money lent or invested, not
including the interest.
Privilege special rights which some people have because of

the job they do or their special status. For example,
diplomats of foreign countries are immune from
arrest in the UK.
Privity of contract only the parties to a contract can sue each other
over breaches of contract.
Privy Council a body of people appointed by the Crown. Its

members include members of the royal family,
present and former cabinet ministers and people who
hold or have held high office. Its main duties are
advising the Queen.
Privy Purse money given to the Crown for royal household

expenses.
Probate authority to deal with a dead person's estate. When

someone has died and left a will, the executors of
the estate apply to the court for this authority.
Probate Registry a registry which deals with the forms which are
needed when someone applies for probate.
Probation If a court convicts someone of an offence, the court

may order that the offender is supervised by a
probation officer for a period of at least six months
but for no more than three years. This is known as
probation and it is an alternative to sending the
person to prison.
Process In law a process is:
a summons or writ which is used to order

someone to appear in court;
the whole of a case from beginning to end; or
the total number of summonses or writs issued
during a case.
Procurator a person who has been given authority to manage

another person's affairs, such as under a power of
attorney.
Procurator fiscal under Scottish law, a person who acts as public

prosecutor and coroner.
Product liability the liability of manufacturers and sellers to

compensate people for unsafe goods which have
caused injury to people or property.
Promisee a person who has been promised something.
Promisor a person who has promised something.
Promissory note a written promise to pay an amount of money to

someone at a given time.
Property the name for anything which can be owned.
Pro rata in proportion. For example, if 10 items cost £100 you

would expect three items to cost £30 if they were
priced pro rata. (This term is Latin.)
Prosecution the name for the team of people (lawyers and so on)
bringing proceedings against someone else. Also
when legal proceedings are taken against someone
it is called a prosecution.
Prosecutor the person who brings legal proceedings, on behalf

of the Crown, against the accused.
Prospectus a formal document giving details of a company's past

performance and of its plans for the future. If a public
company wants people to invest in it, it prepares a
prospectus.
Prostitution selling sexual services for money.
Protected tenancy a tenancy agreement for a house. It gives the tenant

the right to a fair rent and protection from eviction as
long as the terms and conditions of the tenancy
agreement are kept to.
Proviso a clause in a legal document which qualifies another

section of the agreement.
Provocation causing someone to lose their self-control by doing

or saying something (such as threatening to harm a
baby) which would cause a reasonable person to
temporarily lose their self-control.
Proxy a person appointed by a shareholder to go to a

meeting of shareholders. The proxy can vote at the
meeting for the shareholder.
Proxy form a form for shareholders by which, if it is delivered to

a company at least 48 hours before the
shareholders' meeting, the person who is the proxy
will be able to vote at that meeting.
Public mischief something that someone does which damages the

general community.
Public nuisance a crime by which the general public is put in danger

or suffers damage to its health, property and so on.
Putative father the man found by a court to be the father of an

illegitimate child.
Q (Back to top)
Qualifying child when used in connection with Child Support this

means a natural child or adopted child who is under
16, or under 19 if receiving full-time education.
Quango an organisation set up by the Government to do a

particular activity. It is partly independent and does
not form part of the Government.
Quarter days in England the days when payments which are made
every quarter should be paid. The quarter days are
the days that the seasons are said to start. The
actual dates and their names are:
25 March - Lady Day;

24 June - Midsummer Day;
29 September - Michaelmas Day; and
25 December - Christmas Day.
Queen's Bench part of the High Court. Its main function is to deal
Division with civil cases.
Queen's Counsel (QC) a barrister who has been chosen by the Lord
Chancellor to serve as counsel to the Crown. A
Queen's Counsel is more senior than other
barristers.
Queen's evidence evidence for the prosecution given by someone who

is also accused of the crime being tried.
Quiet enjoyment allowing a tenant to use land without interference.

When a tenancy is created the landlord is expected
to allow the tenant to use the land without any
interference, unless the tenancy agreement allows it.
Quiet possession using property without interference. When property is

sold the buyer should be able to use the property
free from interference by the seller.
Quorum the lowest number of qualifying people needed for a

meeting to be able to make a decision.
R (Back to top)
Racial discrimination treating someone less favourably because of their

race, colour, nationality or culture.
Rack rent the full market value rent of a property.
Rape having sex with a person without their permission

(such as if they were asleep or unconscious) or
forcing them to have sex against their will.
Real relating to immovable property such as buildings or

land.
Real estate land owned by someone who has died. In the USA it
is also land and buildings used for business
purposes.
Real property land and buildings, minerals in the land and rights
over the land.
Realty another word for real property.
Reasonable force necessary force. Reasonable force is a complex

issue but essentially use of some force must be
necessary to defend your property or yourself and
the force used must be in proportion to the threat.
Receiver someone appointed to:
sell assets to raise money to repay lenders; or

protect property.
Receiving gaining control of stolen property.
Recognisance an undertaking, given by someone to a court, to

make sure that they do what the court requires. If
they do not do as the court wishes they may have to
pay a sum of money.
Record the documents in a court case from beginning to

end.
Recorder a part-time High Court judge.
Recovery regaining possession of land by taking court

proceedings.
Redemption paying off all the money borrowed under an

agreement.
Redundancy being dismissed from a job because it no longer

exists.
Registered land any land recorded at the Land Registry. There is a

system of recording and registering, at the Land
Registry offices, details of land ownership and
interests in land.
Registered office the official address where documents can be served

on a company.
Also, the company's

registers can be
inspected at the
registered office.
Registrar of an official in charge of the office which keeps records

Companies of registered companies. There is a registrar for
Scotland and another one for England and Wales.
Reinsurance an insurance company insuring part of a risk it is

covering. If an insurance company has taken on a
large insurance contract it may decide to spread the
risk of loss by insuring part of the risk with another
insurance company.
Release means:
to give up a valid claim against someone;

to free someone from prison; or
a document used to cancel a claim one person
has against another.
Remainder an interest which starts when a previous interest

finishes. When more than one person has been left
an interest in land the first person to possess an
interest will have to die before the next person can
possess an interest in the land, and so on.
Remand being kept in prison or paying bail. If an accused

person is placed on remand they are either kept in
prison for a short period or have to pay bail or get
someone to pay it for them. It is used for short
periods before a trial starts.
Remedy using the law to get compensation for damage done

or for rights infringed. Also, a remedy can be using
the law to prevent something from happening.
Renouncing probate a proposed executor refusing to act. Sometimes

when a testator dies an executor will not wish to
accept appointment. The executor has to tell the
Probate Registry about it in writing.
Rent a regular payment to the landlord by a tenant in

return for being allowed to possess and use the
landlord's property.
Repeat offender a person who continues to commit the same offence.
Reply a claimant ('plaintiff' before April 1999)'s answer to a

claim. In a civil case the defendant may offer a
defence to the claim, or even make a counterclaim.
Repossession or a mortgagee recovering vacant possession of the

repossess property mortgaged.
Representation is:
acting on behalf of someone else (such as a

solicitor acting for a client);
taking someone else's place (such as when a
court gives an executor the right to deal with a
dead person's affairs); or
a statement in a contract.
Representative action one or more people, in a group of people with the

same grievance, taking legal action representing the
group.
Reprieve a judge suspending or cancelling punishment for an

offence.
Rescission the cancellation of a contract.
Reservation of title a contract which leaves ownership of the goods with

the seller until the goods have been paid for.
Reserves money set aside in accounts which can be spent in

later years. Some types of reserve can only be spent
if certain conditions are met.
Residence order an order which a court issues when it has decided

where a child should live, setting out details of the
court's decision.
Residuary legacy what remains to be given out from an estate after all
debts, taxes and specific legacies have been paid.
Residue what is left of an estate after all debts, taxes,

expenses and specific legacies have been dealt with.
Res ipsa loquitur proof is not needed because the facts speak for
themselves. If the defendant was in charge of events
and an accident was caused on the face of it by
negligence, then it may be presumed that the
defendant was negligent unless there is evidence to
the contrary. (This term is Latin.)
Resisting arrest a person trying to prevent the police arresting him or

her. A charge could be made of obstructing a police
officer in the course of duty.
Resolution a decision taken by the members of a company in a

meeting.
Respondent the person an action is being taken against.
Restitution is:
an order for the return of stolen goods to the

victim of the theft or for compensation to be
paid to the victim; or
a writ, following a successful appeal, for the
return of the items lost after the original case.
Restraining order an order which a court may issue to prevent a person

from doing a particular thing. For example, if
someone has been harassing another person, the
court may order that the harassment must stop.
Restriction when placed on a piece of land the owner cannot sell

or mortgage the land.
Restriction order This order by the Crown Court prevents a person

being discharged from hospital, to protect the public.
Restrictive covenant a deed which restricts how a piece of land can be

used.
Retainer a payment to a barrister to act in a case.
Retention of title another term for reservation of title.
Reversion
Revocation cancellation.
Revoke to cancel or withdraw.
Revolving credit a loan agreement under which a person can borrow

agreement again to top up the loan, as long as they do not go
over their credit limit.
Right of way a legal right obliging the owner of land to allow

authorised people to cross it.
Rights issue an issue of extra shares by a company. Existing

shareholders can buy extra new shares in proportion
to the shares they already hold. The shares are
usually on sale at a lower price than the stock market
price to encourage shareholders to buy. The
shareholders can sell the rights if they do not wish to

use them.
Riot a gathering of 12 or more people using, or

threatening to use, violence to achieve a common
end.
Robbery using or threatening to use force while carrying out a

theft.
S (Back to top)
Sale or return an arrangement under which goods can be kept by

the potential buyer for a period while their resale is
attempted. Unsold goods can be returned if the
conditions of the contract have been kept to and the
buyer pays for the goods used.
Salvage compensation paid by the owners for saving ships,

aircraft and property from the sea.
Satisfaction is:
paying a debt;
settling an obligation by an act; or
settling an obligation by substituting something
satisfactory for what was originally required.
Scheme of an agreement between a person with debts, who

arrangement cannot pay them when they are due, and the
creditors. The creditors share the money the debtor
manages to pay in proportion to what they are each
owed.
Scrip a certificate showing the extra shares and fractions

of shares the owner is entitled to.
Scrip dividend a dividend paid in shares instead of cash.
Scrip issue free shares offered to the members of a company in

proportion to their shareholdings.
Search inspection of the registers maintained by

organisations such as the Land Registry. When a
person intends to buy a property such as a house, a
solicitor arranges the inspection. This is to find out if
there is any adverse information about the property
or the surrounding area.
Search warrant a warrant issued by a magistrate, or High Court

judge, to allow police officers to search premises.
Securities stocks, shares, debentures and so on where there is

a right to receive interest or dividends from the
investment.
Security something of value pledged to a bank by a borrower.

If the borrower fails to repay the debt, the bank can
sell the security and repay the debt out of the
proceeds of the sale.
Security of tenure protection from a landlord attempting to obtain

possession of the property the tenant is renting.
Sedition writing things or saying things which encourage

ordinary people to rise up against the Government or
which cause discontent.
Sentence the penalty the court imposes on someone found

guilty of an offence.
Separation order a court order that a husband and wife can live
separately if they wish.
Sequestration a court order for the seizure of someone's property.
Settle means:
to create a settlement;
to end a case by agreement; or
to draw up a contract and agree its terms.
Settlement when property is bestowed, usually by a will or a

deed, on a trust for the benefit of people decided by
the settlor. It also means voluntarily agreeing to
settle a civil case.
Settlor the person who gives property to a settlement.
Several separate (not joint).
Shadow director a person who has not been appointed a director of a

company but nevertheless gives instructions to the
directors, which they comply with.
Share capital the money invested directly in a company by its

members. When the shares are first made available
by the company, people can apply to buy them. The
company states the price it wants for the shares.
Share certificate a document which certifies who owns shares in a

company. It gives the type and number of shares
owned by the shareholder and lists the serial
numbers of the shares.
Share premium an account in a set of books recording the extra

account amount over face value that shares have been
issued for. If shares are issued for more than their
face value, the extra amount over face value is
called a share premium.
Sheriff someone appointed each year by the Crown to be a

county's senior officer. Each county in the UK has a
sheriff. To be eligible for the office the person must
own some land in the county. The areas of the law
which come within the sheriff's jurisdiction are largely
dealt with by the under-sheriff.
Shoplifting stealing goods from a shop.
Shorthold tenancy a tenancy under which the law allows the landlord to
repossess the house.
Sine die indefinitely. If a case has been adjourned sine die no

date has been set for it to be continued. (This term is
Latin.)
Slander saying something untrue about a person or doing

something, such as making a gesture, which
damages their reputation.
Small claims court a section of the county court which deals with small
claims. There is a simplified way of making a claim in
the county court in a civil case where the claim is for
no more than £5000 (or £1000 in personal injury
cases). Neither side can claim costs.
Smuggling importing or exporting goods illegally to avoid a ban

on them or to avoid the duties on them.
Sold note a note that shows details of investments which have

been sold, including the sale price and any charges
taken. Stockbrokers produce sold notes for their
clients.
Soliciting a prostitute attempting to get clients in a street or

other public place.
Solicitor a person who can deal with legal matters for the
public and give advice on legal matters. All solicitors
are listed on the roll of solicitors kept by the Law
Society.
Some solicitors can appear for their clients in some
of the lower courts.
Solicitor General the assistant of the Attorney General. They both

advise the Government.
Special resolution a resolution which must be approved by holders of at

least 75% of the shares with voting rights. (Some
types of share give their owners the right to vote at
shareholder meetings, but there are other types
which do not.)
Specific performance a court order to complete a contract. The courts may

order a person who has failed to fulfil an obligation
under a contract to complete it.
Spent conviction a conviction which, after the passage of a stated time

period, does not have to be disclosed (revealed) to a
court.
Squatter a person who occupies land illegally.
Stalking the name given to a form of harassment where a

person is made to feel alarmed or distressed by
another person's actions. The prosecution has to
prove that a reasonable person would have known
that the behaviour would create distress or fear. The
harassment must have happened on at least two
occasions.
Stamp duty a tax on the transfer documents for certain types of

transaction. Examples are buying shares, patent
rights and properties.
Statement of claim the claimant's written statement setting out the claim
in a civil case. (This term has not been used since
April 1999.)
Status how the law regards a person, such as whether the

person is a minor or a bankrupt and so on.
Statute an Act of Parliament.
Statute book all the existing statutes in a country.
Statute law the law created by Acts of Parliament.
Statute of limitation a statute which sets out the time limits within which a
court action must take place.
Statutory accounts company accounts which have been filed with the
Registrar of Companies. The accounts have to
disclose (show) the information required by the

Companies Acts.
Statutory audit an audit required by law. Certain companies have to

have their accounts audited by suitably qualified
accountants.
Statutory books books of account which companies must keep by law

to show and explain all their transactions.
Statutory demand a written demand for payment of a debt of more than

£750.
Statutory instrument a power delegated by Parliament. Parliament can

delegate its power to make and amend law to a
person or organisation. A statutory instrument is one
of these powers and is used by government
ministers to amend legislation.
Stay of execution the suspension of the carrying out of a court order.
Stipendiary magistrate a magistrate who gets a salary.
Stockbroker a person who buys and sells stocks and shares for
clients.
Subduct to withdraw.
Subject to contract an agreement which is not binding until a contract

has been signed.
Sub judice describes something being dealt with by a court

which cannot be discussed outside the court. (This
term is Latin.)
Subpoena a writ requiring the person it is addressed to to attend

at a specific place (such as a court) on a specific
date and at a stated time.
Subrogation substituting one person for another including all

rights and responsibilities.
Subscribers the people who set up a limited company.
Subsidiarity subsidiary activities. Member countries of the

European Community agreed that activities could be
done by the individual member countries unless they
could not do them adequately alone. The European
Community therefore should only do subsidiary
activities and this is called subsidiarity.
Subsidiary a company controlled by another company. The

control is normally a result of having more than 50%
of the voting rights.
Sue to start legal proceedings in the civil court against

someone.
Suicide the act of killing oneself intentionally.
Sui generis describes something that belongs in a particular

category or is the only one of its class. (This term is
Latin.)
Sui juris describes someone who can enter into a contract

without any restriction. (This term is Latin.)
Suit proceedings brought by one person against another

in a civil court.
Summary judgement obtaining judgement without a trial. In an action in

the High Court to recover damages or a debt, if the
claimant ('plaintiff' before April 1999) swears an
affidavit that it is believed that there is no defence to
the claim, the claimant ('plaintiff' before April 1999)
can obtain summary judgement.
Summary offence an offence that can only be tried by magistrates.

Most minor offences are summary offences.
Summary proceedings a trial by magistrates, where the defendant has the

right to choose which court should hear the case, but
has agreed to be tried in the magistrates' court.
Summary trial a trial by magistrates.
Summing up the judge's summary of a case. At the end of a trial

by jury the judge explains points of law in the case to
the jury, explains the jury's role and summarises the
evidence.
Summons an order by a court that a person attend at a

particular court at a stated time on a particular date.
Superior courts the higher courts in English law, which include the
High Court, the Court of Appeal, the Crown Court
and the House of Lords. Their decisions act as
precedents for the lower courts to follow.
Supervision order a court order that a child should be supervised by a

probation officer or a local authority.
Supra above (see above or before in the document). (This

word is Latin.)
Supreme Court the highest court below the House of Lords. The full
name is the Supreme Court of Judicature. It is
divided into:
the Crown Court;

the High Court of Justice; and
the Court of Appeal.
Surcharge a penalty charged if tax is paid late. It is also an extra

charge banks make if customers do not keep to the
agreements they made with the bank.
Surety someone who takes responsibility for someone

else's debts or promises, and guarantees that they
will be paid or undertaken (done). It is also the name
for the money put up as security that someone will
appear in court. If they do not appear in court the
money will be forfeited.
Suspended sentence a sentence that is postponed until the offender is

convicted of another offence.
SWIFT payment a payment from one bank account to another using

the SWIFT system. SWIFT stands for Society for
Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications
and it is an international system for paying by credit
transfer.
T (Back to top)
Tangible asset an asset which can be physically touched.
Tangible property property that physically exists.
TAURUS a computer system intended to replace paper stock

transfer forms and share certificates.
Tax money raised by the Government to pay for the

services it provides. Some taxes are called indirect
because they are part of the price we pay for goods
and services, such as VAT. Other tax is called direct
because the individual taxpayer pays it. Income tax
and corporation tax are examples of direct taxes.
Taxable supply a term for supplying goods and services on which

value added tax can be charged. This applies even if
the tax rate is 0% at present, because it can be
increased if the Government chooses to.
Taxation the levying of taxes.
Taxation of costs the scrutiny of and, if necessary, the lowering of a

solicitor's bill to a client. The scrutiny is done by a
court officer.
Tax avoidance reducing tax bills by using legal means.
Tax evasion breaking the law to reduce tax bills, such as by

concealing income.
Tax point the date when value added tax arises on goods or
services supplied (or made available) to a customer.
The tax point should be displayed on invoices. It is
not necessarily the same as the date of the invoice.
Teeming and lading a term used to describe attempts to hide the loss of
cash received from one customer by using cash from
other customers to replace it. This fraud can carry on
by using cash from other customers in the same
way.
Tenant a person or organisation granted a lease.
Tender supplying a price for a job. If an organisation asks

firms to send in tenders for supplying something,
they are asking for firm written offers to do the work
to an agreed standard and at a stated price.
Tenure how a piece of land is held by the owner (for

instance freehold or leasehold).
Term any of the clauses which form part of a contract.
Terra land. (This word is Latin.)
Terrorism using violence for political purposes.
Testament a will dealing with personal property.
Testamentum another name for a will.
Testator a person who makes a will.
Testify to give evidence.
Testimony the evidence a witness gives in court.
Theft taking someone else's property dishonestly, with the

intention of never returning it.
Threatening behaviour using threats, abuse or insults against another

person.
Timeshare an arrangement where people can buy a share in

part of a property for a period of time in each year.
They can use their part of the accommodation each
year for the period that is theirs.
Title the right to own something.
Title deeds the documents which prove who owns a property

and under what terms.
Toll a payment in return for being allowed to travel over a

road, bridge and so on.
Tort doing something which harms someone else. It may

result in a claim for damages. (This word is Old
French.)
Tortfeasor someone who commits a tort.
Trademark a mark which is registered at trademark registries

and which is used on products produced by the
owner. It is illegal for anyone else to display the
mark.
Transcript the official record of a court case.
Transferable securities securities, such as debentures, which can have their

ownership changed.
Transferee the person something is transferred to.
Transferor the person who transfers something to someone

else.
Treason the crime of betraying your country such as helping

your country's enemies in wartime.
Treasure trove treasure found in a hiding place and whose owner

cannot be traced. It belongs to the Crown but the
finder and the landowner may get a reward.
Treasury the government department which administers

(manages) the country's finances.
Treasury bill an unconditional promise by the Treasury to repay

money it has borrowed for the short term (up to one
year), to pay for government spending.
Treasury Solicitor the person who gives legal advice to the Treasury.
Trespassing going on land without the owner's permission.
Trial an examination of the evidence in a case and the law

which applies.
Tribunal is:
a body set up to act like a court, but outside the

normal court system;
a forum to hear disputes and with the authority
to settle them;
a body given power by statute to discipline
members of a profession who do not keep to
the high standards of behaviour demanded of
members of the profession; or
a body set up by the members of an
association to police the members' actions.
Trust a financial arrangement under which property is held

by named people for someone else.
Trust corporation a company which acts as a trustee and holds a

trust's assets.
Trust deed a legal document which is used to:
create a trust;
change a trust; or
control a trust.
Trustee a person who holds property and looks after it on

behalf of someone else.
Trustee in bankruptcy a person who administers (manages) a bankrupt

person's estate and pays any available money to the
creditors.
U (Back to top)
Uberrimae fidei of the utmost good faith. In certain contracts (such as

insurance policies) one party must disclose (reveal)
any material facts to the other party. If they are not
disclosed the contract can be cancelled or become
unenforceable. (This term is Latin.)
Ultra vires beyond one's powers. If an organisation does

something ultra vires, what it has done is invalid.
(This term is Latin.)
Underlease the lease of a property by a tenant of the property to

someone else.
Undertaking a promise which can be enforced by law such as a

promise made by one of the parties or by their
counsel during legal proceedings.
Unfair contract terms prevents a party to a contract unfairly limiting their

liability. The Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 was
passed to control unfair exclusion clauses. In
particular, in a case where someone had been killed
or injured because of someone else's negligence the
act prevented a contract limiting the negligent
person's liability.
Unfair dismissal sacking an employee unfairly. When an employee

has been dismissed it is the employer's responsibility
to prove that the dismissal was fair. If an industrial
tribunal finds that the dismissal was unfair it can
insist on compensation or reinstatement.
Unit trust a trust which manages investments. People can

invest in unit trusts by buying units. The managers of
the trust use the money people invest to buy
investments. The fund manager values the fund's
assets from time to time and puts a new price on the
fund's units.
Unlawful wounding wounding someone without the justification of self-

defence or without power given by the law.
Unliquidated damages the amount of damages decided by a court because

the parties to a contract had not agreed in advance
how much the damages would be for breaking the
terms of the contract.
Unreasonable behaviour by a married person that justifies the other

behaviour partner in the marriage living apart.
Unregistered company a company which is not registered under the

Companies Acts.
Unregistered land land which is not recorded in the registers at HM

Land Registry.
Unsecured creditor someone who has lent money without getting any
security for the loan.
Uterine describes people who have the same mother but

different fathers.
V (Back to top)
Vendee a person who buys something.
Vendor a person who sells something.
Verdict the jury's decision at the end of a case.
Vesting order a way the High Court transfers land without the need
for a conveyance.
Vexatious litigant a person who regularly brings court cases which

have little chance of succeeding.
Vicarious liability a situation where someone becomes responsible

under the law for wrongs done by someone else.
This often happens when an employee does
something wrong while at work which becomes the
employer's responsibility (such as an employee
working negligently and causing someone else to be
hurt because of the negligence).
Violent disorder three or more people in a gathering using or

threatening to use unlawful violence.
Void unable to be enforced by the law.
Voidable - able to be cancelled in certain circumstances.
Voluntary arrangement an agreement between a debtor and the creditors. If

a person or a company cannot pay their debts when
they are due they can come to a voluntary
arrangement with the creditors to pay the debts over
a period. If the creditors agree with the proposals it
avoids bankruptcy of the individual or liquidation of
the company.
W (Back to top)
Ward of court a person who is protected by the High Court, such as

a minor.
Warrant is:
a certificate which gives the person holding it

the right to buy shares at a given price;
a magistrate's written instruction to arrest
someone; or
a magistrate's written instruction to search a
property.
Warranty a term in a contract. If the term is not complied with

damages can be claimed by the injured party.
Wayleave a right of way through or over a piece of land often

for a particular purpose, such as for a pipeline to go
through a piece of land or for goods to be carried
over it.
Will a legal document which people use to bequeath

(leave as a gift) money and property when they die.
Winding up disposing of all a company's assets and paying all its

debts. Any money left is then divided among the
members.
Without prejudice when written on a document, the document cannot

be used as evidence that a contract or agreement
exists.
Witness someone who:
watches a signature being put on a document,

and then signs as well to verify the signature's
authenticity; or
attends court to testify about events they know
about.
To witness a document is to watch it being

signed and then add your own signature and
name, address and occupation.
Words of art words which have a fixed meaning in law so that

their use in a legal document can have only one
interpretation.
Writ an order issued by a court telling someone to do

something or not to do something. (This has been
known as a 'claim form' since April 1999).
Writ of execution a type of writ ('claim form' since April 1999) used
when a court judgement needs enforcing.
Writ of summons a type of writ ('claim form' since April 1999) used to
start a civil case in the High Court. (This has been
known as a 'claim form' since April 1999).
Wrongful dismissal ending an employee's contract without following the

contract's terms.
Wrongful trading continuing to trade while knowing that there is little

prospect of the company being able to pay its debts.
Y (Back to top)
Young offender a person between the ages of 14 and 17 who has

committed a crime.

Legal Phrases

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Plain English Campaign: Issues and subjects: Law Page 1 of 73

You are in the issues and subjects section.

The A to Z guide to legal phrases

This guide is intended to help in two ways:

it should help non-lawyers understand legal phrases; and

The explanations in this guide are not intended to be straight alternatives.

This is very much a 'work in progress', and we welcome any corrections,

Abandonment giving up a legal right.

Abatement is: cancelling a writ or action;

reducing the payments to creditors in proportion, if

reducing the bequests in a will, in proportion, when

Abduction taking someone away by force.

Ab initio from the start of something. (This phrase is Latin.)

Abovementioned describing something which has been referred to

Abscond when a person fails to present themselves before the

Absolute complete and unconditional.

Absolute discharge someone who has been convicted of an offence

Absolute owner the only owner of property such as equipment,

Absolute privilege a defence which can be used in a case of

Abstract of title a document, drawn up by the seller, summarising the

Abuse of process when criminal proceedings are brought against a

Abuttals the parts of the boundaries of a piece of land which

Acceptance when an offer is accepted unconditionally and a

Acceptance of service when a solicitor accepts a writ on behalf of a client.

Acceptor the organisation (such as a bank) which will pay the

Accessory someone who encourages or helps another person

Accomplice someone who helps another person to commit a

Accordingly a word used in legal documents which means

Accounts the record of an organisation's income, spending and

Accumulation reinvesting income generated by a fund back into the

Accused the person charged with a criminal offence.

Acknowledgement admitting that someone has a claim or admitting that

when a defendant agrees that a writ or originating

Acquit when a court lets a person go without any penalty. If

Acquittal the court's decision that a person is innocent of the

Action using the law to make a claim.

Active trust a trust where the trustees have other responsibilities

Act of bankruptcy an act which, if carried out by a person with debts,

Act of God an extreme naturally occurring event (such as an

Actuary an expert on pension scheme assets and liabilities,

Actus reus an act which is illegal, such as theft. (This term is

Additional voluntary extra money people in occupational pension

Ademption when a gift in a will cannot be made because the

Ad hoc for a particular purpose. For example, a committee

Ad idem - in agreement. (This term is Latin.)

Ad infinitum endlessly or forever. (This term is Latin.)

Adjournment postponing a court hearing.

Adjudge/adjudicate to give an official judgement about something. For

Administration order an order made by a county court when a person or a

Administrator someone who has been appointed:to manage the

Admissibility of which evidence can be presented in court. Evidence

evidence cannot be presented, such as hearsay or

Admission one side in a case agreeing that something the other

Admonition reprimanding of a defendant by a judge even though

Adoption the system which people use to become parents,

Adoptive child a child who has been legally adopted.

Adoptive parent a person who has legally adopted a child.

Ad valorem in proportion to the value. An ad valorem duty goes

Adverse possession intentionally occupying land to prevent the rightful

Adverse witness a witness who gives evidence which damages the

the lawyer who speaks in court for a client; or

Affidavit a written statement which is sworn to be true by the

solemnly promise to tell the truth in court;